Passus iiijus / Quartus
CessethC seith þe kynge · I suffre ȝow no lengere
Ȝe shal sauȝtne for-sothe · and serue me bothe
kisse hir quod þe kynge · conscience I hote
¶ Nay bi criste quod conscience · congeye me for euere
But resoun rede me þer-to · rather wil I deye
¶ And I comaunde þe quod þe Kynge · to conscience þanne
Rape þe to ride · and resoun þow fecche
Comaunde hym þat he come · my conseille to here
For he shal reule my rewme · and rede me þe beste
And acounte with þe conscience · so me cryst helpe
How þow lernest þe peple · þe lered and þe lewede
¶ I am fayne of þat forwarde · seyde þe freke þanne
And ritte riȝte to resoun · and rowneth in his ere
And seide as þe kynge badde · and sithen toke his leue
¶ I shal arraye me to ride quod resoun reste þe a while
And called cat{..}oun his knaue · curteise of speche
And also tomme trewe tonge · telle me no tales
Ne lesyng to lawȝe of · for I loued hem neuere
And sette my sadel vppon suffre · til I se my tyme
And lete warrok it wel · with witty wordes gerthes
And hange on hym þe heuy brydel · to holde his hed lowe
For he wil make wehe · tweyeT er he be there
¶ Thanne conscience vppon his caple · kaireth forth faste
And resoun with hym ritte · rownynge togideres
Whiche maistries Mede · maketh on þis erthe
¶ One waryn wisdom · and witty his fere
Folwed hem faste · hauedT to done
In þe cheker and atT þe chauncerie · to be discharged of þinges
And riden fast for resoun shulde rede hem þe beste
For to saue hem for siluer · fro shame and fram harmes
¶ And conscience knewe hem wel · þei loued coueitise
And bad resoun ride faste · and recche of her noither
Þere aren wiles in here wordes · and with Mede þei dwelleth
There as wratthe and wranglyngP is · þere wynne þei siluer
¶ Ac þere is loue and lewte · þei wil nouȝte come þere
Contricio & infelicitas in vijs eorum &c
Þei ne gyueth nouȝte of god · one go{.}se wynge
Non est timor dei ante oculos eorum
For wot god þei wolde do more · for a dozeine chickenes
Or as many capones · or for a seem of otes
Þan for loue of owre lorde · or alle hise leue seyntes
For-þi resoun lete hem ride · þo riche bi hem-seluen
For conscience knoweth hem nouȝte · ne cryst as I trowe
And þanne resoun rode faste þe riȝte heiȝe gate
As conscience hym kenned · til þei come to þe Kynge
¶ Curteisliche þe kynge þanne · come aȝein resoun
And bitwene hym-self and his sone · sette hym on benche
And wordeden wel wyseli · a gret while togideres
¶ And þanne come pees in-to parlement · and put forth a bille
How wronge aȝeines his wille · had his wyf taken
And how he rauisshed Rose · Reginoldes loue
And Margarete of hir maydenhode · maugre here chekis
Bothe my gees & my grys · his gadelynges feccheth
I dar nouȝte for fere of hym · fyȝte ne chyde
He borwed of me bayard · he brouȝte hym home neure
He meyneteneth his men · to morther myne hewen
Forstalleth my feyres · and fiȝteth in my chepynge
And breketh vp my bernesT dore · and bereth aweye my whete
And taketh me but a taile · for ten quarteres of otes
And ȝet he bet me þer-to · and lyth bi my Mayde
I namT nouȝte hardy for hym · vneth to loke ·
¶ The kynge knewe he seide sothe · for conscience hym tolde
Þat wronge was a wikked luft · and wrouȝte moche sorwe
¶ Wronge was afered þanne · and wisdome he souȝte
To make pees with his pens · and profered hym manye
And seide had I loue of my lorde þe kynge · litel wolde I recche
Theiȝe pees and his powere · pleyned hym eure
¶ Þo wanT wisdome · and sire waryn þe witty
For þat wronge had ywrouȝte · so wikked a dede
And warned wronge þo · with suche a wyse tale
Who-so worcheth bi wille · wratthe maketh ofte
I seye it bi þi-self · þow shalt it wel fynde
But if Mede it make · þi myschief is vppe
For bothe þi lyf and þi londe · lyth in his grace
¶ Thanne wowed wronge · wisdome ful ȝerne
To make his pees with his pens · handi-dandi payed
Wisdome and witte þanne wenten togideres
And toke Mede myd hem mercy to winne
¶ Pees put forþ his hed · and his panne blody
Wyth-outen gilte god it wote · gat I þis skaþe
Conscience and þe comune · knowen þe sothe
¶ Ac wisdom and witte · were about faste
To ouercome þe kynge · with catel ȝif þei myȝte
¶ Þe kynge swore bi crist · and bi his crowne bothe
Þat wronge for his werkis · sholde wo þolye
And comaunded a constable · to casten hym in yrens
And late hym nouȝte þis seuene ȝere · seen his feet ones
¶ God wot quod wysdom · þat were nauȝte þe beste
And he amendes mowe make · late meynprise hym haue
And be borwgh for his bale · and biggen hym bote
And so amende þat is mysdo · and euermore þe bettere
¶ Witt acorded þer-with · and seide þe same
Bettere is þat bote · bale adoun brynge
Þan bale be ybette · & bote neuere þe bettere
¶ And þanne gan Mede to mengen here · and mercy she bisought
And profred pees a present · al of pure golde
Haue þis man of me quod she · to amende þi skaþe
For I wil wage for wronge · he wil do so namore
¶ Pitously pees þanne · prayed to þe kynge
To haue mercy on þat man · þat mys-did hym so ofte
For he hath waged me wel · as wisdome hym tauȝte
And I forgyue hym þat gilte · with a goode wille
So þat þe kynge assent · I can seye no bettere
For Mede hath made me amendes · I may namore axe
¶ Nay quod þe Kynge þo · so me cryst helpe
Wronge wendeth nouȝte so awaye · arst wil I wite more
For loupe he so liȝtly · laughen he wolde
And efte þe balder be · to bete myne hewen
But resoun haue reuthe on hym · he shal rest in my stokkes
And þat as longe as he lyueth · but lowenesse hym borwe
¶ Somme men redde Resoun þo · to haue reuthe on þat schrewe
And for to conseille þe Kynge · and conscience after
That Mede moste be meynpernour · resoun þei bisouȝte
¶ Rede me nouȝte quod resoun · no reuthe to haue
Til lordes and ladies · louien alle treuthe
And haten {..}al harlotrye · to heren it · or to mouthen it
Tyl pernelles purfil · be put in here hucche
And childryn cherissyng · be chastyng with ȝerdes
And harlotes holynesse · be holden for an hyne
Til clerken coueitise be · to clothe þe pore and to fedeC
And religious romares · recordare in here cloistres ·
As seynt Benet hem bad · Bernarde and Fraunceys ·
And til prechoures prechyng · be preued on hem-seluen
Tyl þe kynges conseille · be þe comune profyte
Tyl bisschopes baiardes · ben beggeres chambres ·
Here haukes and her houndes · helpe to pore Religious ·
¶ And til seynt Iames be souȝte · þere I shal assigne
That no man go to Galis · but if he go for euere
And alle Rome-renneres · for robberes of byȝende
Bere no siluer ouer see · þat signe of kynge sheweþ ·
Noyther graue ne vngraue · golde noither siluer
Vppon forfeture of þat fee · who-so fynt hym at Douere
But if it be marchaunt or his man · or messagere with lettres
Prouysoure or prest · or penaunt for his synnes ·
¶ And ȝet quod resoun bi þe Rode · I shal no reuthe haue
While Mede hath þe maistrye in þis moot halle
I sey it bi my-self quod he · and it so were
That I were kynge with crowne · to kepen a Rewme
Shulde neuere wronge in þis worlde · þat I wite myȝte
Ben vnpunisshed in my powere · for peril of my soule
Ne gete my grace for giftes · so me god saue
Ne for no Mede haue mercy · but mekenesse it make
And badde nullum bonum · be irremuneratum ·
¶ Late ȝowre confessoure sire Kynge · construe þis vnglosed ·
And ȝif ȝe worken it in werke · I wedde myne eres ·
That lawe shal ben a laborere · and lede a-felde dongeC
And loue shal lede þi londe · as þe lief lyketh
¶ Clerkes þat were confessoures · coupled hem togideres
Alle to construe þis clause · and for þe kynges profit
Ac nouȝte for conforte of þe comune · ne for þe kynges soule
And þei lawghyng lope to hire · and lafte resoun manye
¶ Waryn wisdome · wynked vppon Mede
And seide Madame I am ȝowre man · what-so my mouth iangleth
I falle in floreines quod þat freke · an faile speche ofte
¶ Alle riȝtful recorded · þat resoun treuthe tolde
And witt acorded þer-with · and comended his wordes
And þe moste peple in þe halle · and manye of þe grete
And leten mekenesse a maistre · and Mede a mansed schrewe
¶ Loue lete of hir liȝte · and lewte ȝit lasse
And seide it so heiȝe þat al þe halle it herde
Who-so wilneth hir to wyf · for welth of her godis
But he be knowe for a kokewolde · kut of my nose
¶ Mede mourned þo · and made heuy chere
For þe moste comune of þat courte called hire an hore
And a schireues clerke · byschrewed al þe route
For ofte haue I quod he · holpe ȝow atte barre
And ȝit ȝeue ȝe me neuere · þe worthe of a russhe
¶ The kynge called conscience · and afterwardes resoun
And recorded þat resoun had riȝtfullich schewed
And mowdilich vppon Mede · with myȝte þe Kynge loked
And gan wax wrothe with lawe · for Mede almoste had shent it
And seide þorw ȝowre lawe as I leue · I lese many chetes
Mede ouer-maistrieth lawe · and moche treuthe letteth
Ac resoun shal rekene with ȝow · ȝif I regne any while
And deme ȝow bi þis day · as ȝe han deserued
Mede shal nouȝte meynprise ȝow · bi þe Marie of heuene
I wil haue leute in lawe · and lete be al ȝowre ianglyng
And as moste folke witnesseth wel · wronge shal be demed
¶ Quod conscience to þe kynge · but þe comune wil assent
It is ful hard bi myn hed · here-to to brynge it
Alle ȝowre lige leodes · to lede þus euene
¶ By hym þat rauȝte on þe rode · quod resoun to þe kynge
But if I reule þus ȝowre rewme · rende out my guttes
Ȝif ȝe bidden buxomnes · be of myne assente
¶ And I assent seith þe kynge · by seynte Marie my lady
Be my conseille comen of clerkis · and of erlis
Ac redili resoun þow shalt nouȝte ride fro me
For as longe as I lyue · lete þe I nelle
¶ I am aredy quod resoun · to reste with ȝow euere
So conscience be of owre conseille · I kepe no bettere
And I graunt quod the kynge · goddesforbode / goddes forbode it faile
Als longe as owre lyf lasteth · lyue we togideres
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passus iiijus de visione vt supra
X
Ȝif ȝe bidden boxomnesse